"Only David Chang would grate frozen foie gras and serve it with lychees;" Alice Waters writes on Michael Pollan's behalf, recounting her reaction to his diligent stalking of a kernel of corn from lab to restaurant plate: "I have not served corn-fed beef of any kind [since]. I was Pollanized — and I am not alone."

Other notables: Broke Back Mountain director Ang Leetells the tale of selfless Taiwanese vegetable vendor Chen Shu-chu; and Dan Barber, chef-owner of New York's Blue Hill composes this witty paean to Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan. More winners and losers can be found over here at Eater National.